Lover's Bridge in Keelung Introduction
For residents living near the stream, the "bridge" is the most important commuting facility. Without a bridge, traveling in and out can often be time-consuming. Nowadays, the harbor suspension bridge also has tourist value, but in the beginning, it was not easy for the villagers to have an external bridge. In the early days, the transportation network in remote areas was not as developed as it is today. Local residents had to walk all the way around the harbor stream from the beach. During the dry winter season, it was not necessary to wade through the stream, but in the wet rainy season, when the stream rose dramatically, the only external route would be blocked. This made travel inconvenient and added some danger. To solve the transportation dilemma, the Manzhou Township Office built a commuting suspension bridge at this location. It was only after the completion of the Jiae Highway and the construction of a two-way reinforced concrete bridge that the suspension bridge was retired. By 1994, the township office rebuilt the current harbor suspension bridge for public infrastructure development and tourism. The harbor suspension bridge is the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the area, and the red and white pattern of the bridge can be seen from afar, spanning across the harbor stream. The banks are also adorned with lush greenery, making one think, "Red, white, and green, how beautiful." As the bridge is not far from the sea entrance, standing on the bridge allows one to see the vast bay; looking up at the sky, it is broad, and looking down at the stream, it is also wide. The view in front is expansive, and any bad mood should vanish in an instant. The area around the harbor stream not only has pleasant scenery but also serves recreational purposes, as can be seen by the fragments of boat leaves drifting on the stream. The boat leaves are actually showing canoes in motion; each canoe scatters across different corners of the stream, each with its own direction, invisibly making the scene of the harbor stream more vibrant.
